"Call Me"

Did I tell you that I got an IPhone for Christmas?  After years and years of carrying around telecommunication dinosaurs (First, an old cell phone that I had for years, then one of the Big Guy's abandoned flip phones), I finally decided I needed to step into the 21st century and get a

camera/
datebook/
weather station/
Internet/
radio/
message center/
photo album/
newspaper/
TV/
stopwatch/
calculator/
watch/
atlas/
compass
......oh, and phone!   

So Mikey and M-t-G jointly decided to "give" me the phone of my choice.  Mikey would pay for it and M-t-G would teach me how to use it!  After a quick introductory tour into the world of IPhones from Ratchlet, I decided to get an IPhone 5c.  As a special deal from Best Buy, I was able to get the phone and sign up for a Verizon service plan.  Interestingly enough, they gave me the phone for free.  I realize that Verizon makes their money on the ongoing monthly payments, but neither Best Buy nor Apple got a dime from me, while I got the newest version of the Apple IPhone.  That seems illogical to me, but I guess there is money changing hands behind the scenes among the three companies. So if they are okay with it, who am I to judge?

It came as no surprise that there was no actual written instruction manual included in the IPhone materials.  I guess there is one on-line, but basically one has to depend on "the kindness of strangers" or friends or family to figure out how to make the thing work.  M-t-G did, in fact, spend several hours helping me to set up the IPhone and she showed me a lot of "tricks," and that definitely got me up and running.   Still,  I am definitely a "techno-dweeb," so, even with M-t-G's help,  I pretty much expected there would be a rather protracted period of adjustment.

Most of it is pretty easy if one is already familiar with a computer, but there are a few things that take a bit of getting used to.  For example, I have mistakenly called people from my contact list multiple times, because I can't seem to consistently remember the right steps to delete calls from the log.  I usually catch it before it actually connects to anyone, but when I don't catch it soon enough, its embarrassing to admit that I STILL don't know what I'm doing on the dumb thing! (Okay, okay the phone isn't dumb....it's the user [that would be me] who doesn't seem to be quite with the program!)

There is another thing that I find really annoying.  Sometimes it seems that all I have to do is breathe on the screen and it will connect me to something that I'm not wanting to connect to, or move where I don't want it to move, or change something I didn't want to change!  Other times I'm tempted to get a hammer to pound on the various icons or arrows or whatevers because hitting them with my finger or even a stylus just doesn't seem to work!  How come it's so sensitive sometimes but other times it just flat out ignores whatever I'm trying to do??

And then there is typing!  It is very convenient to have access to email and the Internet from almost anywhere, but it surely isn't always easy to create a message.  I spent 40+ years working as a secretary/executive assistant and believe me, I knew how to type!  I believe my standard typing speed was somewhere around 70-75 words a minute when I was working full time.  Well, not anymore....and certainly not on my IPhone!  Obviously, one cannot type in the tried and true method of touch typing that I learned many moons ago!  Not on that teeny little keypad!  I've tried to do the 2-thumb approach that all the young people seem to use, but I'm just not that coordinated I guess.....every time I try to type with my thumbs, I drop the IPhone!!  This is not a good thing. (Luckily it always dropped into my lap, so there was no damage done, but that won't last forever!) Using a hunt-and-peck approach leads to a lot of errors, so I don't even try to do a longer multiple paragraph email on the IPhone.  It is just enormously easier to send such messages from the computer, but that kind of defeats the whole purpose!!  For Valentine's Day Mikey gave a darling gadget which incorporated a stylus, a monogrammed heart, a sparkly little butterfly, and a "bungee cord".  The cord plugs into the phone and stretches sufficiently to use on the keyboard. It works well!  Besides which it's kind of fun to add a little bling to the process.  (He also gave similar ones to Ratchlet and to M-t-G.....)  Having that stylus helps quite a bit!

I've decided that I like my IPhone.  It is very helpful to have access to all the different apps from just about anywhere.  On the whole it is more positive than negative and I think it will get better as I get more adept at using it.

Ironically, one of the main reasons I decided I needed to move into using this century's technology, was that frequently people I know would say, "I'll text or message you." When that happened I had to explain that I didn't do text or messages because I had a dinosaur phone.  As you all probably know, trying to type from a telephone keypad is possible but oh, so, tedious and frustrating.  I knew I needed to update my phone skills in this way, or I would be left behind in the dust.   So now you can "Call Me" or text me or message me and I will get it AND will be able to answer!! Cool, huh?? The irony comes in because in the six weeks I have had the IPhone, I have only received two text messages!  I guess there wasn't any urgency after all!

Still, now, after all these years, I'm finally one of the cool kids!  How about that?!!

"I Just Wasn't Made for These Times"

It's true!  "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times."  I belong in the 1950s and 60s.  I understood how things worked back then....well, at least enough to use a telephone, a typewriter, a television, a radio, a washing machine, an iron, a stove, and even a car!   They had knobs and dials and buttons you could press.  There were labels, like "on" and "off" and even sometimes "reset".  If you'd never used any one of these common, ordinary items (frequently because you weren't old enough to use it yet), you could ask your mom or your dad or even a big brother what to do.

However, I lived through the 1950s and 60s already; as well as the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 10 years into the new millennium!  None of those items mentioned above have changed so much that I cannot still use them.  They may be sleeker and smaller, but not much different than the original models.  Using those things became second nature, didn't even have to think about it.  Just pick it up, turn it on, adjust a few things, and away you go. 

There are a lot of new things these days that all seem so much more complicated and the worse part is that there really isn't always someone handy to show you what to do, because as you struggle to figure it out for yourself, it just keeps getting more and more confusing and you feel like you are the Typhoid Mary of things electronic and mechanical.  Sometimes you have to wait until the weekend when your Big Guy is home, so you can ask him what to do.  And then you can watch him do the very thing you had started out to do....the very same thing that didn't work at all for you....and it will obediently do exactly what it was supposed to do for you, but didn't! 

The Big Guy was able to get it to "reset" just exactly like the instructions said it would....Yes, he is able to actually count off 15 seconds while doing nothing but waiting for it to reset.  Unlike his wifey (that would be me) who evidently is incapable of counting off 15 seconds and letting the DAMN KINDLE DO ITS THING WITHOUT  hitting numerous commands that totally confused the little man inside, to the point where it was completely non-functional! 

Not only was said wife upset, bewildered, and generally mad at the world, she broadcast her problem with the Kindle to the whole bloomin' world on her blog!!  Thus necessitating a new posting shamefacedly admitting that the reason her new Kindle wasn't working was because it's owner is an IDIOT!

Thus, I am happy to let you all know that my new Kindle is back up and running.

Really, "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times!"

"Magic Moments"



(l-r)   The Big Guy, T.A., Ratchlet,
Maddie-the-Great, and me



We had these taken a couple of days after Christmas.  They turned out very well,    I think.  We're kind of a cute bunch, if I do say so myself!!

Nothing in the world is more important to me than my family! 

Can you tell?  :)

DISCLAIMER:   You can probably guess that I had nothing to do with the actual taking of these photographs; I didn't even touch the camera!  Hence, the quality, crispness, general composition, etc! (Except for the last one, that I messed up when editing it. Sorry it's blurry!) The photos were taken at local Picture People outlet.  The photos are my personal property.  There was no compensation or agreement regarding promotion of photos between Picture People and I.  Please do not use, without contacting me FIRST!

"I Just Don't Understand"

I really should just declare a permanent ban against allowing another new piece of technology into my life!  It never turns out well.  No matter how well the entire rest of the world is doing with their new [pick one] (Blackberry, Ipod, Ipad, laptop, MP3, or Kindle, etc.), if I get any one of them or any other technology, I can guarantee you that whatever it is will not work for me!  At least not right away.  No matter how often the 10-year old sales kid at Best Buy (or wherever) says, "It's really easy." or "Really, there's nothing to it." or "You'll love it."  "Nothing could go wrong."  I must remember that none of that is true!!  It ISN'T easy, there's a LOT to it, I DON'T love it, and it WON'T work right for me! 

The Big Guy gave me a Kindle for Christmas.  I have been resisting the idea for a long while, in fact, I hadn't put one on my wish list.  I have been hearing (and reading) people raving about Kindle for some time now.  Everyone who has one seems to love it and they are very excited to tell you how much they love it.   Nice for them, but I wasn't convinced.  I was wavering, however!   As I heard more and more about them, I began to see the advantages that might just be great to have!  So when I opened the gift on Christmas I was excited.  Decision out of my hands, it was a gift!!

All those people who loved their Kindles didn't hesitate to tell me I would love it too.  If it lived up to the expectations I had based on other people's experience, I would love it!  In fact, I was on my way to loving it!!  I bought and read one book on my Kindle and yes, it was easy.  I wasn't bothered by reading on a screen, or by not holding a book.  The book prices didn't seem outrageous.  Yep, I could see now what all the fuss was about.  I was looking forward to learning more about it and joining the rest of the e-readers out there as an up-to-date, savvy woman who could use new technology with the best of them.  I should have known better.

The same night I finished the first book, I was going to go to the "store" and get something else.  Oh, this was fun!   Shopping late at night in my jammies, so I could  read something new in bed.  Whee!  I was hyped.

So I woke it up, and pulled up the menu and tried to go to the Kindle store.  Hmmmm, nothing happened right away, but after a several seconds a small box appeared onscreen telling me that my Kindle couldn't connect  with the WiFi right now because there was no WiFi close by and to try a different WiFi or come back later.  Hmpf!  I was able to connect from my bedroom two days ago, why couldn't I do it now?  I thought, well, I guess it needs charging.  So I went  out to the computer and found the cord for charging the thing, plugged it in and went to bed and read a book the old fashioned way.  No problem.  I'll get something tomorrow I thought.

The next morning, I went to collect my Kindle, it had a green light, so I unplugged it, carried it off to the computer and sat down to find another book.  Went to shop at the Kindle store and  the same box and message popped up again:  "Cannot connect", "none nearby".  I was sitting 3 feet away from the router!  I couldn't get any closer unless I climbed up and sat on the desk!! 

I turned it off, re started it, tried again, got the same message.  What the ???  When I looked at the screen and hit the home button a new message popped up, "Your battery is very low, re-charge immediately"  What???  It was charging all night.  The light was orange.  Ooo-Kaaaay!  I charge the battery again.  So I did and went on my way.  When I returned several hours later, the light was green, the battery symbol showed a full charge, and I had 4 bars worth of signal strength.  Tried to connect and got in!  Whoo hoo!  Ok, I figured it out. Yay!!

Last night the same thing happened, in almost exactly the same way.  This evening I tried again,  "Cannot connect"!  Arrgghh!

Went on line, found the troubleshooting info and it said, "With Kindle's long battery life, you can read your Kindle device for up to 10 days with wireless on. Turn wireless off and read for up to one month. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as shopping the Kindle Store and downloading content."

I used it for two days, with the wireless on.  I've charged it three times , but haven't read anything more since then.  I can pop into the Goodwill store less than a mile away and buy a used book for $2 and be back in ten minutes.  I thought this was supposed to be easy!  I guess my definition of easy is different than most people's.

So you see what I mean?  "I Just Don't Understand".  This is the kind of thing that happens every time I try to move into the next level of technology.  Any technology!  Always!  Is anyone else having these kinds of problems?   Is it just me?  What am I doing wrong??  Does anyone know what I should do??  Is my Kindle defective?  Am I defective???  Why do machines hate me???? 

I'm going to go read a plain old book now.

"Bits and Pieces" (ad infinitum)

This is just a little bit of this and piece or two of that, adding up to nothing very significant!  The first  part is really just a test to check out how this new template sets up postings.

*** I saw the Easter Bunny...uh...er...our bunny again today!  It had been several days since I saw him last.  I was afraid that the recent visit by the landscapers had scared him (her??) off.  (They are awfully loud!)  But he's still here, making himself at home.   Yay!   When first he appeared in the yard today, he seemed very cautious, looking around and sniffing the air.  We passed muster I guess, because before long he had stretched himself out up on the deck, back legs extended to the side, looking the very picture of "just lounging around".  He is a fairly small, brown bunny, with little ears that perch right on top of his head, a real cutie as bunnies go!!  As we can see the deck from our back windows, we have a ringside seat for whenever he comes to visit!  Soooo cute!!

*** Birthdays in our family never seem to celebrated just for one day, we regularly have "extended" birthdays.  Right now we are still celebrating M-t-G's extended birthday.  You may recall we had her family party on Easter Sunday, her actual birthday the following Wednesday, that Friday was cupcakes for her class and again for her softball team (with singing twice), her Daddy (T.A.) returned from Finland on Monday and Tuesday was the at home celebration, and tomorrow, fully 9 days after her actual birthday, she is having her "kids" party.  She and 5 or 6 (I think) of her friends are going to the Pottery studio where they will each make something that strikes their fancy with ice cream afterwards.  And then, at last I think, that's it till next year!   Just to clarify, extended birthdays are not because we are obsessed with birthdays!  It's just that trying to juggle schedules in this family to try to get everything done all at once seems to be beyond us.  So we do this instead.  And, actually, when all is said and done, no one ever feels left out and we pretty much all get a birthday that seems to go on forever!  It's kinda neat when it's your turn!  So M-t-G's 9th birthday will soon be over, and well before her 10th birthday is due!!!

*** I'm sure everyone has seen the news about the volcano erupting in Iceland and the voluminous cloud of ash and "stuff" that is now floating over England, and most of western Europe.  According to the experts, the volcano could go on erupting for several more days continuing to spew out more ash and "stuff".  One article I saw said that this particular volcano has periodically had lengthy eruptions, once spreading over an entire year!!  Yikes!!  The most immediate problem being caused by this is the closing of air space to airplanes in the affected areas.  That means flights are being cancelled all over the place.  People are camping out in the airports with no way of getting to where they were going for the duration, at least not by air.  A couple of things struck me:  first, I have never really thought of Iceland as much of anything but a lot of cold and ice....not what you get typically associate with volcanos;  secondly, a lot of those folks stranded in airports and such were on business trips and they missed deadlines, meetings, and opportunities. There were many who had completed the initial part of their trip, but  now can't get home.  But the ones I really felt badly for are the people who missed a wedding, or a funeral, or a graduation, or a reunion.  How sad!   Modern air travel has become such an integral part of life that  you just kind of take it for granted (except for the few, like me, who stay off airplanes on general principles).  Nevertheless, when the air space is closed, there's not a thing to do but wait till it opens up again!  And if, by some horrible possibility, this volcano keeps erupting for a YEAR again, well, I cannot even imagine what chaos this would cause.  And there's not much we could do about it!  Somewhere Mother Nature (or whomever) is sitting and laughing....she wins again!

***  The whole idea of a new fun design for my musings was originally so that maybe somewhere in the  process I could end up getting my own "button" that readers could "grab" and possibly extend my audience a bit....not that I don't love the readers I've got, I do.....but wouldn't it be fun to have a few more new friends??  Well, as you can tell, the button hasn't evolved yet, but other things have happened.  Things that I really had no intention of happening!  For instance, somewhere along the way, all of the bloggers that I follow have disappeared from my page....sigh!  Believe me it was not intentional!  I'm proud to display the blogs I enjoy and hope it sends a few new readers their way.  I will be putting them back under "Other People's Opinions", but I can only add one at a time.  Its a slightly tedious operation, but never fear, all of you will be back where you belong very soon.  I apologize and don't want you to think I don't love you anymore!!  Now, does anybody know how to make a "button"??

And, as the saying goes, "that's all she wrote"!!

"Whistle While You Work"

Maybe if I was able to whistle, my work would have turned out better. But it probably wouldn't have helped at all. 


I was sitting around having a boring evening, I didn't have a good book at hand, I was tired of computer games, and so I started looking around Blogger at some of the features I haven't dealt with before.  I have mentioned before one or two....thousand (!) times, I'm no techie whizz when it comes to computer stuff.  So I should have known better, but well, I didn't.


Blogger in Draft has some nifty stuff available for designing your blog so that is more interesting and personal than the basic choices they offer.  So I played around.  I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that my good friend, C. Beth, was reworking my blog design and that the whole thing was a work in progress.  She did a bunch of design work, but it wasn't quite done.  (Beth has toddlers, free time is not something she has a bunch of!!)  That was okay, I was in no hurry.


So there I was tonight fooling around with the designs and  somehow I managed to lose all the design elements of my original design!  What I was left with in what you see.  I'm not certain how that loss will affect the work Beth has done, but I'm afraid that she will have to do more stuff in order to finalize things.  I really can't ask that of her, so I'm going to live with what I've got for awhile.  Its not too bad, do you think?


Next time I get bored, maybe I'll just go practice whistling instead, it might keep me out of trouble.

"Buttons and Bows"

I may have mentioned (like only about a thousand times!) that I am technologically challenged.  This isn't really my fault.  I am beyond the cusp of the computer generation.  I was born to soon.  I know just enough to let me do some of the basics of blogging, but I don't know enough to allow me to do the fun stuff....like "buttons and bows". 

When I go visiting new blogs I love the "bows", you know what I mean,  the pretty backgrounds, glorious color schemes, and individuality of so many blogs.  The stuff that really dresses it up.  And lots of bloggers have their very own "buttons" , I mean all those cute personal buttons to grab and post on your own site to give a link to another blog you especially like. 

I love that stuff; in most cases its creative and cleverly done, very eye-catching, and it makes a bit of a statement about who you are and what you're like.  Its cool.

But because I am this old lady techno-dweeb, I don't have any of that stuff!   And worse, I have no clue as how one goes about making a button or getting a neat background.   I actually feel pretty clever that I got this far!  So just because my blog is kind of plain and not very interesting looking, doesn't mean I don't wish it was one of the "pretty" ones.

Hmmmm, Maddie-the-great is getting to the age when she will probably turn into one of those whiz kids that just instinctively know how to do stuff on the computer.  Maybe, if I try real hard to be patient and wait a couple of years, she'll be able to help me "redecorate" my little corner of blogdom!   Of course, by then, blogs will probably have moved beyond "buttons and bows" into something even more complicated that I will never figure out even with M-t-G's help!  That's really not fair. 

Why don't these things come with instructions or tutors or something??